Play Online

Software has improved greatly over the last few years, and more and more tabletop roles is being done online. There are many reasons you might want to play online:

It’s hard to gather a gaming group in your area

Your schedule makes it difficult to meet with local gamers

You want to try games that your local group isn’t interested in playing

It’s difficult for your group to find a consistent space for gathering in person

Here are a few of the many tools you can use for running your favorite roleplaying games online:

Dedicated Virtual Tabletop Software

Fantasy Grounds – This app, which runs natively on Windows and on Mac and Linux via WINE, is also supported on Steam.

Roll 20 – This browser-based service also supports tablet apps for Android and iOS, and incorporates robust community features.

Communications Apps

Google Hangouts – With its emphasis on video, and support for text and add-on applications, Hangout is a solid option if you don’t want to shell out for a dedicated virtual tabletop product.

Skype – Audio + text is the sweet spot for Skype. It doesn’t provide access to add-on tools, but it’s easy to use, free, and works well across a wide variety of platforms.

Slack – Best known as a business tool, Slack provides tools for text-based play with robust image support and integration with many other services. Dylan Reed’s short writeup gives you an idea of how some people use it for gaming.